Amazon to start drone delivery in the UK next year
Amazon Prime’s Air drone delivery service will come to the UK in late 2024, the company announced today.
The technology giant said it is expanding its drone delivery system in the US and in a host of European countries including Italy and the UK, starting with one site at each location.
David Carbon, vice president of Amazon’s Prime Air, said: “As part of our continued efforts to innovate for customers, we are excited to announce the expansion of Prime Air delivery internationally, for the first time outside the US.”
Carbon added that the company would be deploying drones from some of its same-day delivery sites, with the site confirmed in the next few months. “In Italy and the UK, we will start integrating into some of our fulfilment centres, which will provide Amazon customers with faster delivery of an even greater selection of items.”
Prime Air is also unveiling a new MK30 drone design, which it says is “quieter, smaller and lighter, than previous models.”
The MK30 can fly twice as far as previous makes, and is equipped with technology that allows it to identify and avoid obstacles in the delivery area.
The company said it was in discussion with national and international regulators across Europe to develop the programme further, and that necessary investment had been provided to ensure the service was “safe and scalable.”
Baroness Vere, the UK’s aviation minister, said: “Not only will this help boost the economy, offering consumers even more choice while helping keep the environment clean with zero emission technology, but it will also build our understanding how to best use the new technology safely and securely.”
Frederic Laugere, head of innovation advisory services at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Exploring the options of how drones can be safely and successfully incorporated into more of the UK’s airspace is key.”
“It is vital that projects such as this take place to feed into the overall knowledge and experiences that will soon enable drones to be operating beyond the line of sight of their pilot on a day-to-day basis, while also still allowing safe and equitable use of the air by other users.”